12/28/2013 – We have already reached ChessBase
Magazine 157, but Nagesh Havanur, who was busy writing on the World Championship match in Chennai, has sent us his impressions of CBM 156, which celebrates Vladimir Kramnik's victory at the Tromsø World Cup. He has taken a special look at one particular opening survey: 9…Ne8!? against the King’s Indian Bayonet Attack. Review.
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ChessBase Magazine #156
Review by Prof. Nagesh Havanur
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On seeing this issue of ChessBase Magazine a friend commented, “Kramnik should have played the match with Carlsen.” Indeed, amidst the euphoria over Carlsen’s victory in the recently concluded world championship one could not help wondering whether Vlad would have done better against Magnus.
This issue of ChessBase Magazine rightly celebrates the resurgence of the former world champion in the chess arena. In September he won the World Cup in Tromsø, Norway. He finished the event in style, scoring five wins in regular rounds and four in play-offs. He also remained unbeaten, never in the danger of losing.
In CBM 156 Kramnik (above left) himself annotates his final game against Andreikin. Runner-up Dmitry Andrekin also played attractive chess – Here is how he floored Karjakin:
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1.d4Nf62.Nf3e63.Bg5d54.Nbd2I think these moves are quite suitable for rapid chess.h65.Bh4c56.e3Nc67.c3These moves were made rather quickly. White's position has many active ideas.Qb6You can't call this move a mistake, but it isn't quite clear. Usually White uses it in the opening, but I have an extra tempo and I don't have to defend my pawn with the queen. The more reasonable alternative looks like this7...Bd6!?8.Bd30-09.0-0e510.e4g511.dxc5dxe412.Nxe4Nxe413.Bxe4Bxc514.Bg3Qxd115.Raxd1f616.b4Be717.Ne1=8.Rb1Of course, I am not going to exchange queens.Be79.Bd3White has a nice position.Nh5?!This move looks strange, especially in connection with the previous one. It's better to move the knight to d7, though after9...Nd710.Bg3!Black is unbalanced, it is not clear how to develop the queenside. Castling, recommended by the computer, looks rather dangerous.9...0-010.0-0Bd711.Ne5!Qc712.f4with attack.10.Bxe7It is possible to play on the queenside:10.b4!?cxb410...cxd411.b5!Na512.cxd411.Bxe7Nxe712.Rxb4Qc713.Bb5+Kf814.0-0Nf615.Qc2but I decided not to change the master plan, my aim is to reach the black king!10...Nxe711.0-0Here I could have transferred my queen, but in rapid chess such ideas are often hard to see.11.dxc5!Qxc512.Qa4+Bd713.Qg4!g614.Ne5Qd615.Ndf3with a strong initiative for White. This variation shows the weakness of the 7th and the 9th moves of Black.11...Nf612.Ne5The attack! Houdini comments like this:12.Qa4+Bd713.Qa3cxd414.cxd4Nc615.b4!12...0-013.f4Exactly like this! My aim is to go ahead, whereas Black's pieces are not in the game yet. It doesn't make sense to exchange the bishops.Ne8Black is preparing ahead his defence against the White g-pawn. Black is in danger:13...Bd714.g4Bb514...Be815.g5hxg516.fxg5Nd717.Ndf315.g5hxg515...Bxd316.gxf6Bxb117.fxe7±16.fxg5Nd717.Qh5Bxd318.Nxd7Qa619.Nf6+!gxf620.gxf6Bxb121.Rf2!Qd322.Rg2+Qg623.fxe7Rfe824.Nxb1+-14.Qh5In connection with the black knight retreat I have extra chances. Why not using the strongest piece?f6This move strengthens the game. Perhaps, Black should strengthen his position.14...f5!?15.Qh4Nf616.Rf3cxd417.exd4Qd618.Re1Bd719.Rg3Kh815.Ng6The immediate moving of the pawn is more effective15.g4!I saw this move, but didn't take the risk of playing it. I thought my simple move would lead to a strong advantage. I didn't want to "overthink it". Now afterfxe516.fxe5 Black has to give the piece backNf5and now comes a quiet move17.Rf2!±15...Nxg616.Bxg6I could make my opponent play f6-f5 and then continue a long fight.16.Qxg6f517.Nf3But I know very well that it's very difficult to win a slightly better position against Sergey. So I undertook a direct attack. I kept in mind that at the moment he was in time trouble. I think my decision was right.16...Bd717.g4!Black wants to exchange bishops, but he lacks a tempo.cxd4?!The opening of the e-line is in White's favour. The variation looks weak-spirited17...Nd618.g5Be819.Bxe8Raxe820.gxh6Nf5±Black should have considered17...Bb5!?18.Rf2Nd6Black is safe against g4-g5, but suddenly the white knight enters the game!19.Nb3!So, again Black gives up his pawn.cxd419...c4?!20.Nc520.Nxd4Be820...Bd721.Rg2!the threat is great g4-g521.Nxe6Bxg622.Qxg6Rf723.Nd4Re824.Re2Black has some compensation for his pawn and a chance to draw.18.exd4Qd8A vain attempt to hold the position.19.Nf3Still another piece is in the game! Houdini considers the line:19.g5fxg520.fxg5Rxf1+20...Qxg5+21.Qxg5hxg522.Bh7+Kxh723.Rxf8+-21.Rxf1Qxg5+22.Qxg5hxg523.Bf7+Kh724.Nf3Nf625.Nxg5+Kh626.h4±I saw the lines while playing, but I didn't think they are strong enough.19...Qc720.Nh4It's a reasonable move, but still using the rook could be tough.20.Rbe1!±20...Bb521.Rfe1!It's time for the decisive attack!The line21.Rf2Nd622.Re1Rae8!shows that Black is still alive.21...Bd7Taking the pawn leads to a poor ending for Black.21...Qxf422.Rxe6f5!23.Bh7+!?Kxh724.Ng6Nf625.Nxf4Nxh526.gxh5Rae827.Rbe1Rxe628.Rxe6±22.f5I didn't want to play a complicated ending:22.Bd3Qxf423.Ng6Qg524.Ne7+Kh825.Qxg5fxg526.Ng6+Kg827.Nxf8Kxf8±White's position is winning, but he has to work hard to achieve the result.22...e522...exf5??23.Re7+-23.dxe5fxe524.g5The brave pawn continues its mission. In spite of the open position, the white king feels comfortable, because all the black pieces are too passive.Qc5+25.Kg2d4A more difficult task for White could be in the line25...Bc626.gxh6Nf627.Qg5gxh628.Qxh6Qc4and here two beautiful moves in a row are required from White:29.Bh7+‼Nxh730.Rg1‼+-Kh831.Ng6+Kg832.Nxe526.gxh6There was a more straightforward way to win:26.f6Bc6+27.Kg3Nxf628.gxf6Rxf629.Qxe5+-26...Nf627.Qg5gxh628.Qxh6dxc3Black could use his queen in his defence, but after28...Qe729.cxd4e430.Rg1Qg731.Qe3!the end is near.29.Kh3!The white king is quite safe and it watches its rooks.c230.Rbc1At such decisive moments it is important not to make a beautiful sacrifice. Black has no defense on the g-file.Qd431.Rg1Qd3+32.Rg31–0
The surprise of the World Cup was the fall of so many experienced campaigners. The list reads like a Who’s Who of modern chess: Aronian, Gelfand, Svidler and Morozevich… Only a few of these gladiator contests are annotated on this DVD. That’s a pity. One game that missed the attention of annotators is Kramnik’s knockout of Vassily Ivanchuk – amasterpiece in which the Ukranian maverick is outgunned by Vlad with some sharp tactics. Hopefully, annotations to this game would find their way in the next MegaBase.
Reports on other events are as worthy of attention, especially Biel, Dortmund and FIDE Grand Prix at Bejing. For reasons of space I shall not dwell on them here.
In all there are 792 OTB games, of which 100 are annotated. This time there are no correspondence chess games, and the annotations by Juan Morgado and Roberto Alvarez are missed. Correspondence chess is a valuable medium of the game and ChessBase Magazine should carry regular updates.
This brings me to other sections of the DVD. There are eleven opening surveys:
Budapest Gambit
Sicilian Kan
French with 3 Nc3 a6
King's Gambit with 3...Ne7
Ruy Lopez with 5...b5, 6...Bc5
Exchange QGD
Grunfeld Defence, Prins Variation
Tango Part 1
KID Saemisch
KID Bayonet Attack
Here I shall mention just one of the above. It relates to 9…Ne8!? against the Bayonet Attack in the King’s Indian. As is well known, Hikaru Nakamura scored a sensational victory over Viswanathan Anand in London Chess Classic 2011, employing a “dubious” line with the black pieces. That was two years ago. More important developments have taken place ever since.
In his analysis Krisztian Szabo comes up with some dangerous stuff. The centerpiece is his game with Hagen, which I am giving here with my own comments.
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1.d4Nf62.c4g63.Nc3Bg74.e4d65.Nf30-06.Be2e57.0-0Nc68.d5Ne79.b4The Bayonet Attack with which Kramnik disarmed Kasparov's King's IndianNe8!?Nakamura's favourite with which he has won quite a few games.9...Nh5is the standard move.9...a5is the other line.10.c5f511.Nd2Nf612.a4g5Young Szabo tries this move, although it ran into problems in the well-known game, Anand-Nakamura, London Chess Classic 2011.I still think12...f4is preferable.13.Nc4h6The problem with 12...g5 is that the pawn needs to be defended, slowing down Black's attack.13...g4?!is met by14.Bg5and Black cannot advance...f4 without dropping the pawn on g4. 14.f3f415.Ba3Ng616.b5dxc517.Bxc5Rf718.Kh1!NThis is Hagen's improvement. The king makes way for the bishop who will guard h2 and continue to target a7.The older move18.a5was met byh5?!in the aforesaid Anand-Nakamura encounter and the American talent won in spite of a dubious position out of the opening.In his analysis Szabo suggests a nice improvement with18...Bf8!and Black will have a fine position whether White plays 19. Bxf8 or retreats with 19.Bf2.18...Bf819.Bg1h520.a5g421.b6g3?!21...cxb6!22.axb6a6∞This is Szabo's improvement. However, White's chances may be preferable now that the bishops are well-placed to guard the king and he is ready to make inroads into queenside.22.Nb5Nh4?!Threatening 23...Bh3 24. gxh3 g2 mate. Tempting and wrong. But the other line22...gxh223.Bf2cxb624.axb6Szabo mentions24.Nxa7!?as a possibility. This is also dangerous for Black. For example,Rxa725.Bxb6Qe726.Bxa7h427.Nb6+-24...h4also does not work.25.Rxa7Rb826.Kxh2Nh527.Nc7and White dominates the position.23.hxg3?Now the tide turns and White loses.23.h3??Bxh3!24.gxh3Qd7-+is worse.He would have won with23.bxc7!Bh324.Rf2‼(wonderful defence)gxf225.gxh3+-according to Szabo.23...fxg324.Nxe5If24.Nxc7?Ng6‼25.Ne6Bxe626.dxe6Nd527.exf7+Kg7!-+There is no way of stopping the mate on h-file. Another beautiful line given by Szabo.24...Bh3‼25.gxh3Qc826.Ng4g2+27.Kh2gxf1N+!After27...gxf1Q?28.Nxf6+!Rxf629.Qxf1White survives.28.Qxf1hxg429.hxg4Nxg4+30.Kg3Bh631.Kxh4Bf432.Kh5Rh7+0–1
A dramatic game! While I have my reservations regarding the 12…g5 line employed here, I appreciate Szabo’s overall verdict on 9…Ne8, “Objectively it should be slightly better for White. But Black has very good attacking and practical chances.”
Beside these surveys the DVD also offers trademark sections with middlegame tactics and endgame exercises, the latter by the redoubtable Karsten Müller.
A wag quipped, “Magnus trained with Müller and practised rook and pawn endgames – that was the decisive factor in Chennai Match.”
The German chess coach and Bundesliga player Martin Breutigam recommends the move 3...Ne7 against the King's Gambit to you.
There is much less to learn here than in the main line with 3...g5. Moreover, 3...Ne7 is not only in vogue these days but it also has the best statistics!
White usually replies with 4.d4 or 4.Bc4 - but according to Breutigam in both cases it is the white player who must struggle to equalize the game. In contrast, the black setup is "amazingly simple!"
Chess Festival Prague 2025 with analyses by Aravindh, Giri, Gurel, Navara and others. ‘Special’: 27 highly entertaining miniatures. Opening videos by Werle, King and Ris. 10 opening articles with new repertoire ideas and much more.
Experts examine the games of Max Euwe. Let them show you which openings Euwe chose to play, where his strength in middlegames were, which tactical abilities he had or how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame.
This interactive video course of over 8 hours, provides an in-depth exploration of the Pirc Defence, a favoured opening for people looking to play for the win with the black pieces.
Pirc Defence Powerbase 2025 is a database and contains a total of 10027 games from Mega 2025 or the Correspondence Database 2024; of these 874 are annotated.
The Pirc Defence Powerbook 2025 consists for a greater part of engine games (168 000), to which has been added high value material from Mega and the Correspondence Database (115 000).
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